The best thing this book has going for it is the fact that it's short. I'm still a little confused, and it felt like it took me forever to finish. Adding a star because the beginning wasn't bad

2.5/5 (rounding up)

TW: Pregnancy loss, infertility

This novella centers around Nolan and Emma, a struggling couple returning to a bed and breakfast they visited together during a happier period in their lives. The bed and breakfast is under new management and the couple has no idea what's in store for them.

This story had a very surreal and dreamlike quality to it. While I understand the author's intention, I found the plot a bit difficult to follow at various points throughout. I think the story will still find its audience, though. It's got a creepy, Gothic feel and it does successfully leave the reader with a sense of dead and unease. There were elements I enjoyed but it is not something I would personally revisit. Overall, this one was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

In this story a couple revisit a bed and breakfast where at a time in their lives it gave them pleasant memories. Struggling with grief and a a way to begin healing, the husband arranges a trip back.

At first things seem off but the further the story progresses the more stranger things become. There is a constant feeling of dread from the start. For me personally it started off strong however over the half way mark it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Although it was a great premise, it was an ok read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC! This was a spooky novella about diverging interests, goals, and growing apart. I would recommend going in blind to this one as it adds to the atmosphere. I'm still unsure who or what Leah truly is, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

A struggling couple returns to a Bed and Breakfast that they had visited in happier times.

There were a few weird and eerie moments in this story, but I had a bit of a hard time following the thread of the plot, it was at times surreal and dreamy.

Bed and Breakfast follows a couple, Nolan and his wife Emma who go back to a bed and breakfast that they once had happier times at.

This couple is hoping to mend their broken relationship and hopefully rekindle the good times however, Nolan realizes that not everything is as it seems. The bed and breakfast is not the same and the new owner only adds to the ever growing dread Nolan is feeling...

I will say that the author did an amazing job at atmospheric writing because, you the reader can truly feel the vibe and the dread that's looming. And you can also feel the emotional state the couple is in which adds a creep factor.

The ending... ugh I wanted more it was quick and didn't leave much to think about. It is however a great slow burn that leaves you with a sense of dread, so I recommend checking this out!

Thanks for the arc NetGalley!

Noah takes his wife back to the bed and breakfast they loved the previous year. but the new owner is creepy and things are not right. good thriller

What did I just read?

A.M. Kherbash delivered a creepy as heck novella that left me with a furrowed brow halfway through until long after I finished.

The amount of messed up-ness packed into 160 pages was unmatched; such an atmospheric, building level of creepiness, I will be thinking about this for a long time, and will make me reconsider staying at a bed and breakfast (or eating mushrooms) for a long, long time.

Nolan and Emma lost another baby almost a year ago and she is understandably going through it. Nolan wants to do whatever he can to lift her spirits and get his wife back, so he books a weekend at a bed and breakfast she loved when they stayed there a year ago. But the place has changed. There is a new owner, a new smell, and plants everywhere. Almost turned away, he convinces the new owner to let them stay, and then it gets crazy.

This book gave me the feeling something was always standing just around the corner, or in my blindspot. I left feeling completely unsettled, in the very best way.

If you like weird girl lit, level ten creep factors, and feeling unsettled for a whole read, pick up this book immediately.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

A husband and wife duo visit a bed and breakfast after receiving bad news multiple times in a row. As they do, its determined that romantic bed and breakfast getaways are so successful at reuniting a couple who struggles to even ascertain if they like each other- but something is certainly strange about their retreat away from home. The atmosphere in itself was fraught with tension pretty consistently- but unfortunately to me, it took way too long for anything of substance to happen. We have some creepy moments throughout, but if you reach 60% to a novella that hasn't revelead its plot yet, I think the pacing is off. The writing is good, but almost lacks personality. I wish I had more to work with here, but this one wasn't for me. Please bring back proper pacing in horror novels/ novellas!! Thank you to the publisher and author for a chance with the eARC!

I had some issues with the plot. What was up with Leah? Was she a witch? What did she want with Emma and Nolan? What was with the hair / fur? I felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions that came with the story. I understood why Emma grew attached to Leah and why she was willing to believe all of these questionable things due to her grief and want for a child, but the reason for Leah (and the baby dolls? They aren’t really explained either) aren’t clear.

This is a creepy, dark book and even though it ends abruptly, I enjoyed it a lot! Nolan surprises wife Emma with a trip to the bed and breakfast they stayed in a year ago. Emma, still saddened by their stillbirth baby girl, is mourning and Nolan hopes to lift her spirits. But what they encounter is so much more than they could ever expect! It's a crazy nightmare that might make you reconsider where you stay!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was...really odd. I'm not entirely sure what I read because I didn't find this to be a cohesive story. I was originally drawn in by the cover and thought the setting of a creepy B&B was intriguing. After the first chapter or two, it all went downhill for me and became really confusing and didn't hold my attention. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novella centers around a couple, Nolan & Emma, who are working through a time of personal grief. Nolan surprises Emma with a weekend trip to a bed & breakfast. Once there it's not the idyllic vacation Nolan was hoping for as strange things begin to occur.

This book piqued my interest within the first 30% and had me excited to complete it asap. However, the next 70% of the book was a drag for me and when we finally got to the action it felt way too rushed. The overall setting & the b&b owner were creepy but it felt like nothing ever took off.

I feel the author would be better suited either by a) removing some of the uncessary plot points and focus on the main one or b) stretching the book out longer to build more tension and lead us to the payoff in a more realistic way.

I have a hard time recommending this book BUT I do think it would be interesting for certain readers. Readers that like surreal horror & manic horror would most likely enjoy this more than I did.

As with anything in the art space, it takes courage to release a piece of art so I commend the author. This one just wasn't for me.

This novella is creepy throughout and will jeep you in suspense. There are hints about what’s going on during thus book, but don’t believe them! The ending will leave you shook!Great read!

Bed and breakfast is a short but sweet novella.

Nolan has booked him and his wife Emma a couple of nights away at a b&b they had previous stayed at to try and lift Emma’s spirits after she has spent months trying to process her grief. The b&b is now under new management and things are not all as they seem.

The majority of the story was at a rather slow place but I felt it worked as the writer did a fantastic job at building tension and suspense leaving you feeling rather unsettled. Pieces of doubt are dropped throughout until it leads you towards a crescendo.

Unfortunately I didn’t love the ending - I felt it all happened rather abruptly and pretty quickly I had suspected what might happen which led me to be slightly disappointed when it did play out in a very similar way as to what I had expected.

What I did love was how the author was able to leave you feeling disoriented as a lot of it leaves you unsure as to what is real, hallucinations or even a dream as you immerse yourself through the perspective of Nolan. It leaves you open to interpret a lot of what’s happening to him and enables you to see it through his eyes and experience it as he did.

The ending is also left fairly open to interpretation, but I actually really liked the way it ended as I think it adds to those overall themes of confusion and frustration.

Idk what I just read. I mean I know but it was just ehhhh.

Bed and Breakfast is about a husband and wife. The Husband wants to get his wife in better spirits so he takes her to this place where they had great times. The Bed and Breakfast was a place where he remembered they created fun memories but he forgot that the start of her depression is what happened at this place.

This story was an easy read but honestly blehhh. I was thinkin it was going to be something to the point where they both wanted to leave. It got freakier and freakier to the point where the 2 FMCs blew mine !

I rate this book at 2.25 star and I truly wouldn’t recommend this because it was kinda of a blehhh for me. I could have skipped it.

Bed and Breakfast by A.M. Kherbash is a horror novella that takes place in a remote bed and breakfast, chosen by husband Nolan to rekindle the spark between him and his grieving wife, whose struggling to find closure after a late miscarriage. Leah, the creepy innkeeper/owner, initially refuses to allow them to stay in their booked room. After pleading on Nolan’s part, they are allowed o visit the room just briefly- until Leah pulls a 180 and enthusiastically allows them to stay while transforming into an involved and generous host. It doesn’t take long for Nolan to discover that Leah is more than she seems, all the while trying to recover his wife who is seemingly loosing her mind.

The concept is interesting and the writing is solid. I think although the author’s intention of laying the framework for a story that is “really” about “letting go” and of becoming obsessed (and subsequently how it affects those around a grieving person), the idea gets washed out in the pacing of the story. Interestingly enough, when I’ve been presented with more complex concepts through a horror story I typically find myself in the same frame of mind as “this meeting could’ve been an e-mail”- overserved. However, in the case of Bed and Breakfast, I feel like I would have been more satisfied if this story was fleshed out further, into a longer novel with more depth and backstory holding the weight of the themes we’re meant to explore.

Overall, the story was an easy read (less than four hours from start to finish), creepy and descriptive- but forgettable.

Bed and Breakfast tells the story of Nolan, a man clinging to the fragile hope of repairing his marriage after an eventful year. Hoping to recreate happier times, he returns to a bed and breakfast with his wife, Emma, where they once spent an idyllic weekend. What follows is a descent into obsession, surrealism, and unraveling memory, as grief and desperation distort the boundaries between reality and illusion.

The premise is compelling: the exploration of a fractured relationship, set against a mysterious, possibly haunted backdrop, offers rich ground for horror and psychological depth. The narrative plays with time jumps and disorientation effectively, and the writing style is clear and accessible, which helps ground the reader even when the structure gets nonlinear.

However, while the concept drew me in, the execution didn’t fully work for me. The story often felt surface-level when it could have gone deeper emotionally or thematically. The horror elements leaned more confusing than unsettling, and the plot developments didn’t always feel earned. As the story progressed, I found myself struggling to stay invested, and by the end, the resolution felt rushed and somewhat implausible. The emotional impact I was hoping for never quite landed.

That said, I think there’s a specific audience that may appreciate its surreal tone and the ambiguity it leans into. Readers who enjoy dreamlike, disjointed storytelling and character studies tinged with psychological horror may find it intriguing. It simply wasn’t the right match for my preferences.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. This is a creepy novella done right. A man and his wife decide to revisit a bed and breakfast they once spent their time at to rekindle their love after something tragic happens.

I didn’t really get into this book it was a slow read for me I would read something else by this order I just couldn’t get into this read for some reason